Track sprinkler



4 Hm m w. H. WHALEN TRACA SPRINKLER Filed May 25 Patented Oct. 21, 1924.

WILLIAM H. WHALEN. or LOS ANGELES. CALIFORNIA.

TRACK SPRINKLER.

Application filed May 25, 1922. Serial No. 563544.

T 0 all 10h am it may concern. 1

Be it known that 1, WILLIAM H. VHAIJ-ZN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Los Angeles, in the county of Los Angelo; and State of California, have invented new and useful Improvements in Track Sprinklers, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to an apparatus for allaying the dust that is ordinarily raised by railway trains moving over dusty and sandy stretches of railway track.

It is well known that the movement of the railway trains at their normal rate of speed over their trackscauses the raising of a cloud of dust which becomes particularly obnoxious at the rear end of the train. This cloud of dust is especially objectionable in long stretches of track in the arid and desert regions of the country, and particularlv so in the low sandy valleys of Utah, Nevada, Arizona and California.

Many of the passenger trains now running through the western districts are provided with observation platforms for the comfort .of the passengers and also to enable the view of the scenery through which the traveller asses, and heretofore it has been practical y impossible for the passengers to occupy the observation platform at the end of the train when passing especially through sandy localities.

It 'is a primary object of this invention to provide a means for effectively laying the dust and more particularly for laying the dust in the low sandy valleys. Another object of special importance is to eliminate the requirement of any special cars carrying supplies of water and toeliminate special tanks for water supplies, and to provide for the utilization of the suflicient quantity of water per mile directly from the locomotive tender or tank and yet to insure for the retention of an ample supply of water in the tender tank to enable the locomotive to draw the train from one water supply station to the next water sup-- ply station without liability of running short of water.

By this invention the dust is allayed by the spraying of water directly upon the roadbed during the movement of the train and which water is taken directly from the water tank in the locomotive tender. This obviates the requirement of a special water car or tank, since it is ordinarily possible to obtain a sufficient supply of water at water stations along the right of way to not only supply the requirements of the locomotive between thewvater stations, but also to have a sufficient supply for spraying the roadb'ed.

Practical demonstrations of the apparatus have proved that even the dusty roadheds of the deserts may be allayed so effectively that no dust will be raised at the rear of the train. The invention, therefore, provides for the accomplishment of the long desired dustless roadbed especially in regions where,- while the ballast of the roadbed may be of rock or gravel, or clinker and where the roadmay even be heavily oiled and characteristically dust proof, they are heavily coated with dust depositedby dust storms andare also re ered with dust raised by the passage of vehicles over (-ontiguous' highways.

Other objects will be made manifest in the following specification of an embodiment of the invention illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a broadside elevation of a, portion of a locomotive tender broken away and showing the associated sprinkling apparatus.

Fig. 2 is a vertical cross section through the tender and showing the apparatus in elevation. i

Fig. 3 is a detail of a valve controlling link and latch. I

Fig. 4 is aside elevation ofa fragment of the sprinkler pipe.

Fig. 5 is a cross section on line 5-5 of the pipe of Fig. 4.

The preferred embodiment of the present invention consists of the combination'with a suitable water supply or reservoir of a sprinkling apparatus including a spray pipe arranged to extend transversely across and just above the railway tracks.

Preferably the supply apparatus consists of the usual water tank 2 of a locomotive tender and which is. utilized to supply water to the locomotive. Preferablythe sprinkling apparatus is of such construction and arrangement that the water for sprinkling purposes to allay the dust may be taken directly from the tender tank 2, and yet will provide for the retention of an ample quantity of water for steam purposes to enable the locomotive to reach the next water station in its district.

The present sprinkler apparatus includes a suitable manifold 3 having in its lower port-ion apertures 4 through which the water may be discharged onto the adjacent roadbed, and the spray is preferably discharged immediately onto the roadbed below the tender. By use of the invention it has been found that by discharging the sprays of water rearwardly as to the line of travel and at an angle of about 45 as shown in Fig, 5, the dust is effectively allayed. Therefore, the discharge apertures 4 are shown as cutthrough the discharge or spra oipe 3 with the axis of the apertures at about e5 to the vertical plane of the axis of the pipe. The apertures. may be of any suitable formation and arrangei'uent and are shown as provided in a plurality of rows; the apertures of the adjacentrows being staggered so as to secure a discharge of larg number of streams of water throughout the length of the pipe.

The manifold 3 connected as by a central stand pipe 5 to the bottom of the tender tank 2 througl'i v.-*hich it extends upwardly to a suitable distance determined by the transverse area and forn'iation of the tank for the purpose of insur the retention of a suitable volume of water in. the tank that cannot be drained from the tank by the spray apparatus. Therefore, the stand pipe 5 extends up a suitable height above the bottom of the tank. The inlet end of the stand pipe is preferably provided with a controlling or gate valve 6 which may have a quick acting closure connected to a valve stem 7, the upper end of which is attached to and is operated by any suitable manually operated controlling device which may consist of a bell crank 8 having a forwardly extending link 9 provided with a handle 10. The forward end of the link 9 may be toothed as at 11. to engage the supporting bracket 12 therefor which is provided at the forward end of the tank.

From the above it will be seen that when a dusty stretch of roadbed is reached in the district through which the train will run,

' the fireman or engineer may open the valve 6 and permit the discharge of water from the engine tender directly through the spray pipe or manifold 3 onto the subjacent ballast.

It is, of course, understood that the operatives having charge of the locomotive and tender would see to the filling of the tender prior to the running of the engine into the dusty districts, and this would provide for the replenishment of the tender tank and enable the ample supply of water to be distributed while the train is traversing the dusty bed. This would also insure the provision of a suitable quantity of water to carry the'locomotive in the event that the spraying apparatus would otherwise exhaust the supply of water in the tender.

The spray manifold 3 of the apparatus is found to be very effective when arranged just in the rear of the front truck of the tender as is indicated in Fig. 1.

Various modifications and changes may be resorted to within the spirit of the invention as claimed.

lVhat is claimed is:

l. The combination with a locomotive water tender of a manifold, a standpipe connected thereto and extending through the bottom of the tender tank and to a point a substantial distance above the bottom, a valve at the upper inner end of the standpipe, means on thetender tank accessible to the operator for opening and closing said valve, said manifold extending in a plane across the railroad track and slightly above the track, and said manifold having perfo 'rations to form fine jets of water to lay the dust upon the track.

2. The combination with a locomotive water tender of a manifold, a standpipe con nectcd thereto and extending through the bottom of the tender tank and to a point a substantial distance above the bottom, a gate valve at the upper inner end of the standpipe, a bell crank having a forwardly extending link provided with a handle mounted on the tender tank, a valve stem operatively connecting said gate valve to said bell crank so that by operating the handle the gate valve is opened or closed or adjusted to control the flow of water to the manifold, said manifold extending in a plane across and slightly above the railroad track, and said manifold having perfora tions to form fine jets of water to lay the dust upon the track.

In testimony Whereofl have signed my name to this specification.

' W. H. WHALEN. 

